ACCOUNTING A.A.S.
This program is intended for those planning to enter the accounting profession upon completion of the degree.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Apply knowledge of the activities of business and government and of the environments in which they operate
- Apply a basic knowledge of finance, including financial statement analysis, capital budgeting and the time value of money
- Function effectively with an understanding of the internal structure and operations of a business
- Demonstrate knowledge of financial accounting, including content, concepts, and structure of the various statements, both for internal and external use
- Understand the process of identifying, gathering, measuring, summarizing and analyzing financial data in business organizations, including the use of computer based information
- Utilize knowledge of management accounting in making critical decisions
- Ability to perform the routine activities of a small business accountant
- Apply a basic knowledge of tax accounting and appreciate its impact on financial and managerial decision-making
- Apply accounting knowledge to solve real-world problems
- Continue your education at a 4-year institution
CAREER POSSIBILITIES
Junior staff accountant, general account manager, account clerk and others. Businesses that have hired our accounting students include:
- Cuddy & Ward, CPAs
- YMCA
- Cayuga Community College
- Jackson Hewitt
- Dany Cuddy Financial Services
- Wegmans
- Buffington & Hoatland, CPAs
- Merry Go Round Playhouse
- Carrolls Corporation
- NYS Department of Tax
- Cooperative Extension
- Premier Payroll Services
- Goulds Pumps
- H&R Block
TRANSFER INFORMATION
Students should contact their advisor and/or the Coordinator for Transfer and Articulation in the Centers for Student Engagement and Academic Advisement for information on transfer planning. Early consultation to plan the most appropriate course sequence will optimize transferability.
Popular transfer schools include:
- SUNY Oswego
- SUNY Empire State College
- SUNY Brockport
- SUNY Alfred
- SUNY Cobleskill
- SUNY Cortland
- LeMoyne College
- Niagara University
- Ithaca College
- Syracuse University
- Excelsior College
- Keuka College
- RIT
Students should contact their advisor or the transfer counselors in the Center for Student Engagement for transfer information. Early consultation to plan the most appropriate course sequence will optimize transferability.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
“As a non-traditional student, it was great to go back to school for something I really enjoy, accounting, and be in classes that were smaller, where the professor can actually take the time to answer your questions. It was nice to be surrounded by other students that were serious about the major and professors that were knowledgeable and hands on.”
“My experience in the Accounting program at Cayuga was a memorable one. The professors were always available to help when you needed, and they took the time to learn about you as you learned about accounting. With the small class sizes, there was ample time to slow things down or speed them up depending on the comfort of the entire class. I was in my last 2 semester classes with the same people generally for all classes, so it was extremely easy to correlate one class’s lessons to another class’s, making it a very immersive learning experience. I feel that I was given above and beyond the tools to grasp the lessons and knowledge I needed to apply my degree in the workforce. I don’t think I would have succeeded as well anywhere else.”
I enjoyed my time at Cayuga. I found the Professors to be people I looked forward to seeing in class they brought their life experiences as well as the curriculum to the program. Prior to taking the classes, I thought I knew what accounting was about; I was only partially correct. The classifications, relationships, principals and concepts of accounting were eye-opening. It all starts with “no, actually the terms credit and debit are references to positions in a place holding model.”
SERVICE LEARNING FOR ACCOUNTING STUDENTS
The United Way of Cayuga County partners with Cayuga Community College to help run CA$H (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope), a free tax preparation service. From January through April each year, Cayuga accounting students who have completed the Federal Income Tax course are recruited by Professor Dawn Matijas to volunteer their time and prepare tax returns for low-income families in Cayuga County.
2018 CA$H Results
Number of Returns filed: 321
Total Refunds: $443,409
Average Client Refund: $1,617
Five (5) student volunteers:
Crystal Featherly
Aaron Hilmerson
Shawn Szakaly – May 2018 graduate
Halle Horning – May 2018 graduate
Naela Zeuba
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ACCOUNTING STUDENTS
Two scholarships are awarded at commencement to Accounting students.
Commencement award recognizing the achievements of a promising accounting graduate, who intends to enter the profession upon graduation and must have completed at least thirty credit hours at Cayuga. Sponsorship of the award is by Dawn Matijas-Czolowski, a faculty member in the School of Business. The recipient is selected by the Business Faculty.
ACCOUNTING TRANSFER SCHOLARSHIP
Commencement award recognizing the achievements of a promising accounting graduate, who has completed at least thirty credit hours at Cayuga and has been accepted into an accounting program at an upper-division college or university. Sponsorship of this scholarship is by a local CPA firm. The recipient is selected by the Business Faculty.
ONLINE LEARNING
Cayuga’s accounting program offers a flexible and convenient way to earn your A.A.S. degree. Students can combine their coursework to include both campus and online instruction. Core accounting courses in the second year are offered on Monday and Wednesday to provide students with additional flexibility.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Students receive instruction in the field’s core subject areas. Those who enroll at a time other than the fall semester may need more than four semesters to complete the required sequence of courses. Some third- and fourth-semester business courses are only offered during the day.
The curriculum listed on this page represents the minimum coursework required for the AAS degree in Accounting. Any exception must have the written consent of the chair of the Division of Behavioral/Social Sciences, Business, Criminal Justice, Teacher Education, and Physical Education/Health.
| COURSES | CREDIT HOURS | |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST SEMESTER | ||
| ENGL 101 | Freshman English I | 3 |
| BUS 101 | Principles of Accounting I * | 4 |
| BUS 103 | Principles of Business | 3 |
| BUS 225 | Microcomputer Application Software | 3 |
| Math ** | 3 | |
| 16 | ||
| SECOND SEMESTER | ||
| ENGL 102 OR ENGL 270 |
Freshman English II OR Technical Writing |
3 |
| BUS 102 | Principles of Accounting II * | 4 |
| BUS 205 | Business Law I | 3 |
| Liberal Arts Elective | 3 | |
| Health or Physical Education | 1 | |
| 14 | ||
| THIRD SEMESTER | ||
| ENGL 221 OR ENGL 222 |
Effective Speech: Public Address OR Effective Speech: Group Discussion |
3 |
| BUS 090 | Small Business Accounting * | 2 |
| BUS 201 | Intermediate Accounting I * | 4 |
| BUS 222 | Federal Income Tax * | 3 |
| BUS 227 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| ECON 201 | Introduction to Economics I | 3 |
| 18 | ||
| FOURTH SEMESTER | ||
| BUS 202 | Intermediate Accounting II * | 4 |
| BUS 150 | Business Communications | 3 |
| BUS 220 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| BUS 221 | Accounting Systems * | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Intro to Economics II | 3 |
| 16 | ||
| TOTAL CREDIT HOURS | 64 | |
* To be eligible for this degree, a student must earn a C or higher in this course.
** MATH 102 or higher
A prior felony conviction may hinder a student’s ability to enroll in a course or complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or meet the criteria for licensure required by certain professions.